Junior Assembly Presentation Preparing for after high school

Agenda

• • • • • After high school Words of Wisdom Preparing for a College Search Scholarships Next Steps for Juniors

After High School

• • • • • Career/Employment Military Technical/Vocational Junior/Community Public or Private Four Year

Self-Examination

• • • • What do I want to have? What do I want to take away from this year? What kind of grades do I want? Why is that important? Is that important?

Where do I want to go? Where do I want to travel? Who do I want to visit? Why is going to that place important to me? What will I take away from that experience?

What do I want to do? What kind of experiences do I want to have? How can I leave a legacy at school and in my community? What kind of projects am I interested in? What kind of careers would give me the opportunity to work on projects like that? Do I need college to find a career I love?

Who do I want to be? How can I become the kind of person I want to be? How can I get involved with the things I want to be involved with? Why are those things important to me?

Words of Wisdom

If you don’t have a major, it’s OK. More than half of new college students say a very important reason for going to college is “to find my purpose in life.”

Discuss

• • • Why college? Work? Military?

What do I want to get out of college? Work? Military?

What special talents and interests will I bring to a new community of learners?

Career

• What career do you hope to pursue? Need help finding a career? www.careercruising.com

Username: lisle Password: careers bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ Click on “Majors and Career Search ” under

Words of Wisdom

You don’t need to go far away. 88% of high school students go to college in their home state.

Words of Wisdom

Relax… 70% of colleges accept an average of 70% of their applicants.

Preparing for a College Search

Know Yourself

• • • • • • Values Ambitions Achievements Academic Strengths Interests Your Standout Talents

Discuss

• • • Share with your teachers and parents your thoughts about your future.

What sets you apart?

Be ready, starting next week, to discuss the questions on slide 3.

Types of Colleges

Type Two year Description Tuition

Degrees offered: Associates Provides: A way to ease into college / take general college classes for credit.

Typically have agreements with four year colleges to transfer credits.

Typically around $4,000/year

Admission Requirements

Open-door admission policy

Types of Colleges

Type Description Tuition Four year Degrees offered:

Bachelors and beyond Provides: A well-rounded college experience that includes an academic area of study.

State: Typically under $17,000/year

Private:

Typically more than $22,000/year • • • • • • •

Admission Requirements

SAT or ACT GPA Class rank Essay Extracurricular activities Letters of recommendation Transcripts

Choosing Your College Priorities

Discuss • • • • • • What is important to you?

Location Academics Size Campus Appeal Social Life Total Cost – Including aid

Good Fit

• • • • • • www.collegecountdown.com

www.collegeboard.org

www.cappex.com

www.firstinthefamily.org

www.zinch.com

Many other sites to explore!

Financial Fit

• • • • www.collegecountdown.com

Discover the colleges your family can afford.

May help alleviate tension between you and your parents.

Provides a great conversation piece and you will have more of an idea of your family’s finances.

What Is Financial Fit?

•

Determining Reasonable Debt

•

Assessing Your Affordability

•

Learning how to Match Your Affordability with the Net Price/Cost of Colleges

Right College, Right Price (The Perfect Fit)

About College Admission Tests

•

ACT

– Consists of four subtests: English, Math, Reading, and Science – Writing component is recommended – – Top composite score is 36 State ACT Offered March 3 rd vs. State pays Counselor registers individual National ACT On a Saturday Individual pays Individual registers – www.actstudent.org

to register for a National ACT (CEEB 142628) •

SAT

– Consists of three tests: Reading, Math, Writing – Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800 – www.collegeboard.com

to register (CEEB 142628)

What information do college admission officers review?

• Grades / Overall GPA • Strength of high school course selections • Admission Test Scores (www.fairtest.org) • Essay • Teacher and counselor recommendations • Class rank • Student’s demonstrated interest • Personal accomplishments • Personality characteristics • Courses in progress Junior and Senior year • Facebook/Twitter - any multimedia facet

Collecting College Information – Where to go

• Cappex.com - College search made simple. Your first stop to kick-start your college and scholarship search • nacacnet.org National Association for College Admission Counseling. Offers national college fair information and articles about the college process • collegeboard.org Information about the SAT and college and scholarship search •

actstudent.org

– to register for ACT •

collegecountdown.com

– discover your financial fit

Scholarships

Merit Scholarship Tips

• • • • • •

Merit scholarships are where the money is.

There is more than $11 billion in merit scholarships available to students from colleges Not just for “A” students Many awards emphasize leadership or school involvement Nearly all colleges offer merit aid scholarships The average merit scholarship is $5,000 Many awards can be renewed year after year

• • • • • • • •

Scholarship Resources

Fastweb.com

- Private scholarships

fafsa.ed.gov

- Free Application for Federal Student Aid January 1 of your senior year

Studentaid.ed.gov

about paying for college - The federal government’s website

MeritAid.com

- $11 billion in merit scholarships Cappex.com Scholarship matching

finaid.org

of financial aid - Free student resource for learning about all types

collegeboard.org

– scholarship search

Senior Assembly - 2015

Next Steps

Next Steps for Juniors

In School

 Stay focused on academics  Keep a good academic load for senior year  Meet with your school counselor  Stay involved in school activities  Shadow in an area that interests you

Standardized Testing

 Prepare for and register for ACT / SAT tests  Register for AP tests as appropriate

College Exploration

 Explore colleges on the Web  Visit colleges if you can  Meet with college representatives  Attend college fairs  Professional email address/voicemail/etc.

Lisle High School’s Timeline

• • • • • • • •

College Night – November 6 th

(Registration due October 30 th ) March 3, 2015 – State ACT Begin applying September 1, 2015 August – Senior Assembly Complete FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – January 1, 2016 February 2016 - COD hosts the FAFSA made easy FAFSA Workshop - LSHS Final Decision – May 1, 2016

Illinois Student Assistance Corp

• • • • • Laura Monteagudo will be in the library twice a month to help with college and scholarship searches and financial aid questions!

October 16 th & 23 rd 12 – 3:00 Like Laura on Facebook – Username: ISACCOD3 [email protected]

(630) 465-1927